Advogato blog for jmeskillhttp://www.advogato.org/person/jmeskill/
Advogato blog for jmeskillen-usmod_virguleSun, 2 Aug 2015 18:25:11 GMTSat, 13 Jun 2015 18:14:01 GMTBlue/Green Deploys with Kubernetes and Amazon ELBhttp://www.advogato.org/person/jmeskill/diary.html?start=65
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iamruinous/~3/FE1qQDq3kv4/<p>At <a href="https://www.octoblu.com" >Octoblu</a>, we deploy very frequently and we’re tired of our users seeing the occasional blip when a new version is put into production.</p>
<p>Though we’re using <a href="http://aws.amazon.com/opsworks/" >Amazon Opsworks</a> to more easily manage our infrastructure, our updates can take a while for dependencies to be installed before the service restarts – not a great experience.</p>
<h4>Enter Kubernetes.</h4>
<p>We knew that moving to an immutable infrastructure approach would help us deploy our apps, which range from extremely simple web services, to complex near-real-time messaging systems, quicker and easier.</p>
<p>Containerization is the future of app deployment, but managing and scaling a bunch of <a href="https://www.docker.com" >Docker</a> instances, managing all the port mappings, is not a simple proposition.</p>
<p><a href="http://kubernetes.io" >Kubernetes</a> simplified that part of our deployment strategy. However, we still had a problem, while Kubernetes is spinning up new versions of our docker instances, we could enter a state where old and new versions were in the mix. If we shut down the old before bringing up the new, we would also have a brief (sometimes not so brief) period of downtime.</p>
<h4>Blue/Green Deploys</h4>
<p>I first read about Blue/Green deploys in Martin Fowler’s excellent article <a href="http://martinfowler.com/bliki/BlueGreenDeployment.html" >BlueGreenDeployment</a>, a simple, but powerful concept. We started to build out a way to do this in Kubernetes. After some complicated attempts, we came up with a simple idea: use <a href="http://aws.amazon.com/elasticloadbalancing/" >Amazon ELBs</a> as the router. Kubernetes handles the complexities of routing your request to the appropriate minion by listening to a given port on all minions, making ELB load balancing a piece of cake. Have the ELB listen on port 80 and 443, then route the request to the Kubernetes port on all minions.</p>
<h4>Blue or Green?</h4>
<p>The next problem was figuring out whether blue or green is currently active. Another simple idea, store a blue port and a green port as tags in the ELB and look at the current configuration of the ELB to see which one is currently live. No need to store the value somewhere that may not be accurate.</p>
<h4>Putting it all together.</h4>
<p>We currently use a combination of <a href="http://travis-ci.org" >Travis CI</a> and <a href="http://aws.amazon.com/codedeploy/" >Amazon CodeDeploy</a> to kick off the blue/green deploy process.</p>
<p>The following is part of a script that runs on our <a href="https://github.com/octoblu/triggers-service" >Trigger Service</a> deploy. You can check out the code on GitHub if you want to see how it all works together.</p>
<p>I’ve added some annotation to help explain what is happening.</p>
<pre>
#!/bin/bash
SCRIPT_DIR=`dirname $0`
DISTRIBUTION_DIR=`dirname $SCRIPT_DIR`
export PATH=/usr/local/bin:$PATH
export AWS_DEFAULT_REGION=us-west-2
# Query ELB to get the blue port label
BLUE_PORT=`aws elb describe-tags --load-balancer-name triggers-octoblu-com | jq &amp;#039;.TagDescriptions[0].Tags[] | select(.Key == &amp;quot;blue&amp;quot;) | .Value | tonumber&amp;#039;`
# Query ELB to get the green port label
GREEN_PORT=`aws elb describe-tags --load-balancer-name triggers-octoblu-com | jq &amp;#039;.TagDescriptions[0].Tags[] | select(.Key == &amp;quot;green&amp;quot;) | .Value | tonumber&amp;#039;`
# Query ELB to figure out the current port
OLD_PORT=`aws elb describe-load-balancers --load-balancer-name triggers-octoblu-com | jq &amp;#039;.LoadBalancerDescriptions[0].ListenerDescriptions[0].Listener.InstancePort&amp;#039;`
# figure out if the new color is blue or green
NEW_COLOR=blue
NEW_PORT=${BLUE_PORT}
if [ &amp;quot;${OLD_PORT}&amp;quot; == &amp;quot;${BLUE_PORT}&amp;quot; ]; then
NEW_COLOR=green
NEW_PORT=${GREEN_PORT}
fi
export BLUE_PORT GREEN_PORT OLD_PORT NEW_COLOR NEW_PORT
# crazy template stuff, don&amp;#039;t ask.
#
# Some people, when confronted with a problem,
# think &amp;quot;I know, I&amp;#039;ll use regular expressions.&amp;quot;
# Now they have two problems.
# -- jwz
REPLACE_REGEX=&amp;#039;s;(\\*)(\$([a-zA-Z_][a-zA-Z_0-9]*)|\$\{([a-zA-Z_][a-zA-Z_0-9]*)\})?;substr($1,0,int(length($1)/2)).($2&amp;amp;&amp;amp;length($1)%2?$2:$ENV{$3||$4});eg&amp;#039;
perl -pe $REPLACE_REGEX $SCRIPT_DIR/triggers-service-blue-service.yaml.tmpl &amp;gt; $SCRIPT_DIR/triggers-service-blue-service.yaml
perl -pe $REPLACE_REGEX $SCRIPT_DIR/triggers-service-green-service.yaml.tmpl &amp;gt; $SCRIPT_DIR/triggers-service-green-service.yaml
# Always create both services
kubectl delete -f $SCRIPT_DIR/triggers-service-${NEW_COLOR}-service.yaml
kubectl create -f $SCRIPT_DIR/triggers-service-${NEW_COLOR}-service.yaml
# destroy the old version of the new color
kubectl stop rc -lname=triggers-service-${NEW_COLOR}
kubectl delete rc -lname=triggers-service-${NEW_COLOR}
kubectl delete pods -lname=triggers-service-${NEW_COLOR}
kubectl create -f $SCRIPT_DIR/triggers-service-${NEW_COLOR}-controller.yaml
# wait for Kubernetes to bring up the instances properly
x=0
while [ &amp;quot;$x&amp;quot; -lt 20 -a -z &amp;quot;$KUBE_STATUS&amp;quot; ]; do
x=$((x+1))
sleep 10
echo &amp;quot;Checking kubectl status, attempt ${x}...&amp;quot;
KUBE_STATUS=`kubectl get pod -o json -lname=triggers-service-${NEW_COLOR} | jq &amp;quot;.items[].currentState.info[\&amp;quot;triggers-service-${NEW_COLOR}\&amp;quot;].ready&amp;quot; | uniq | grep true`
done
if [ -z &amp;quot;$KUBE_STATUS&amp;quot; ]; then
echo &amp;quot;triggers-service-${NEW_COLOR} is not ready, giving up.&amp;quot;
exit 1
fi
# remove the port mappings on the ELB
aws elb delete-load-balancer-listeners --load-balancer-name triggers-octoblu-com --load-balancer-ports 80
aws elb delete-load-balancer-listeners --load-balancer-name triggers-octoblu-com --load-balancer-ports 443
# create new port mappings
aws elb create-load-balancer-listeners --load-balancer-name triggers-octoblu-com --listeners Protocol=HTTP,LoadBalancerPort=80,InstanceProtocol=HTTP,InstancePort=${NEW_PORT}
aws elb create-load-balancer-listeners --load-balancer-name triggers-octoblu-com --listeners Protocol=HTTPS,LoadBalancerPort=443,InstanceProtocol=HTTP,InstancePort=${NEW_PORT},SSLCertificateId=arn:aws:iam::822069890720:server-certificate/startinter.octoblu.com
# reconfigure the health check
aws elb configure-health-check --load-balancer-name triggers-octoblu-com --health-check Target=HTTP:${NEW_PORT}/healthcheck,Interval=30,Timeout=5,UnhealthyThreshold=2,HealthyThreshold=2
</pre>
<h4>Oops happens!</h4>
<p>Sometimes <a href="https://twitter.com/peterdemartini" >Peter</a> makes a mistake. We have to quickly rollback to a prior version. If it is the off-cluster, rollback is as simple as re-mapping the ELB to forward to the old ports. Sometimes Peter tries to fix his mistake with a new deploy and now we have a real mess.</p>
<p>Because this happened more than once, we created <a href="https://github.com/octoblu/oops" >oops</a>. Oops allows us to instantly rollback to the off cluster, simply by executing <code>oops-rollback</code>, or quickly re-deploy a previous version <code>oops-deploy git-commit</code>.</p>
<p>We add an <code>.oopsrc</code> to all our apps that looks something like this:</p>
<p>{<br/>
"elb-name": "triggers-octoblu-com",<br/>
"application-name": "triggers-service",<br/>
"deployment-group": "master",<br/>
"s3-bucket": "octoblu-deploy"<br/>
}</p>
<p><code>oops list</code> will show us all available deployments.</p>
<p>We are always looking for ways to get better results, if you have some suggestions, <a href="https://gitter.im/octoblu/help" >let us know</a>.</p>Mon, 2 Feb 2015 09:13:59 GMTProgramming Philosophyhttp://www.advogato.org/person/jmeskill/diary.html?start=64
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iamruinous/~3/e-qXL-j1LSM/<p>A few months back I started an internal weekly mailing list at Octoblu sharing my views on Programming Philosophy. I want to share those ideas a little more broadly and get some new perspectives.</p>
<p>Programming is a deeply creative and philosophical work, unfortunately we don’t share our beliefs widely enough.</p>
<p>You can join the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/programming.philosophy/" >Facebook Group</a>, or I just launched a newsletter that anyone can subscribe to. You can <a href="https://tinyletter.com/programmingphilosophy" >subscribe to Programming Philosophy</a>, or check out the <a href="http://tinyletter.com/programmingphilosophy/archive" >Programming Philosophy Archive</a>.</p>Fri, 7 Mar 2014 23:13:30 GMTWhat’s in a name? Judd Jacobs.http://www.advogato.org/person/jmeskill/diary.html?start=63
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iamruinous/~3/Pm5YX0tPkA0/<p>I’ve been working with a very interesting individual lately, <a href="http://juddisms.com" >Judd Jacobs</a>. He always has something clever to say.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We’re walking off a salad cliff… together</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>Suppressed is like depressed but they got sus’d instead</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Always remember the name <a href="http://juddisms.com" >Judd Jacobs</a> for your comedic sayings needs.</p>Fri, 7 Feb 2014 03:15:54 GMTTwenty-Something Theses of Autonomyhttp://www.advogato.org/person/jmeskill/diary.html?start=62
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iamruinous/~3/ClCBePkPbmc/<p>I believe that a radically different organization than what exists in the world today. In order to build the new economy (and thus a new world) our ideas of how an organization works must be challenged (“<a href="http://www.cluetrain.com/passages.html#hyperlinked" >You can’t make an omelete [sic] without nuking the existing social order</a>“). A keystone of this “new way” is Autonomy. In order to get the best results, Freedom is essential. I have begun the process of capturing my theory in my “Twenty-Something Theses of Autonomy.” This list will evolve as I expand on each of these Theses, however, I want to begin the improvement process now by starting a discussion.</p>
<p>Do you see anything obvious missing? What has your experience taught you? Let’s talk.</p>
<h2>Twenty-Something Theses of Autonomy</h2>
<ul><li>Customer Delight Cannot Exceed Worker Delight</li>
<li>Fully Engaged + Fully Present = Fully Human</li>
<li>Humans Own Outcomes</li>
<li>Creativity Seeks Free Spirits</li>
<li>Nonlinear Innovation Needs Creativity</li>
<li>Innovation Breeds Failure Breeds Innovation</li>
<li>Community Improves Results (and Expedites Failure)</li>
<li>Fear is the Org Killer</li>
<li>Telling Triples Turnover</li>
<li>Demanding Delivers Dummies</li>
<li>Teams Solve Difficult Problems</li>
<li>Autonomy Trumps Hegemony</li>
<li>Ivory Towers Are For Wizards (and Look Where That Got Saruman)</li>
<li>Only Gamblers Pick Winners</li>
<li>Diversity Wins</li>
<li>The Best Ideas are at the Market</li>
<li>Heterogenous Systems Increase Effectiveness (over time)</li>
<li>Simple is Better</li>
<li>Maximize Laziness</li>
<li>Effort is Expensive</li>
<li>Results &gt; Effort</li>
<li>Only Results Matter</li>
<li>Adults Come to Work</li>
<li>Team = Product</li>
<li>(Team + Product)^n = Organization</li>
<li>Leaders Don’t Manage</li>
<li>Results Cover a Multitude of Sins</li>
</ul>Fri, 7 Feb 2014 03:15:54 GMTGangplank on Arizona Horizonhttp://www.advogato.org/person/jmeskill/diary.html?start=61
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iamruinous/~3/afdVlJiMXAc/<p>I appeared on Arizona Horizon on PBS on Wednesday. You can watch the video <a href="http://www.azpbs.org/arizonahorizon/detailvid.php?id=14575" >here</a>.</p>Fri, 7 Feb 2014 03:15:54 GMTHacking The Future of Humanity at TEDxLivermorehttp://www.advogato.org/person/jmeskill/diary.html?start=60
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iamruinous/~3/P7n7hPlB0rw/<p>On June 8th, 2013 I spoke at TEDxLivermore about Hacking the Future of Humanity. The videos were recently published and now you can watch it for yourself.</p>
<p>
<iframe width="740" height="555" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?index=1&amp;list=PLsRNoUx8w3rPwpHdDmwvKYSu8RhKqh-WL" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""/>
</p>
<p>From the Youtube Video:</p>
<blockquote><p>Jade Meskill believes we have a choice: we can continue to condemn our children to a life of mediocrity through our apathy….or we can deliver them a future made of magnificence. Delving into the true hacker ethic, Jade poses the question: “How do you hack the system to leave our kids a magnificent future?”</p>
<p>The core principals of hacking: openness, sharing, decentralization of authority and free access to information, are shared from the perspective of someone who began a hackers’ life before becoming a teen. Jade also shares his core belief that the most important aspect of the hacker mentality is world improvement. According to Jade, the original definition of the word ‘hacker,’ (before it meant invasion of privacy or people taking over your computer), bespoke of people who were insanely curious about the new world of technology, of communication, and of computing power. Hackers were pioneers in a new frontier, building the basis of what fuels our modern, tech-driven world. </p>
<p>Jade Meskill works in the highly dynamic area of culture change, team improvement and organizational transformation. In this talk he discusses how his early education through Montessori school was a perfect match for supporting his penchant for creative exploration. He attributes the Montessori explorative learning style as a basis for his success as a serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Gangplank, the best collaborative workspace for creative people and innovative companies in Metro Phoenix. Gangplank is an unusual shared workspace that, instead of charging a fee, demands your energy, your time, and your passion for true co-creation. It is as much a set of values and cultural beliefs as it is a shared work environment, and it is growing, with venues in various cities in the US and Canada.</p>
<p>Learn more about Gangplank at http://whatisgangplank.com/.</p>
<p>TEDxLivermore is organized by people from Livermore California who believe in the power of ideas to change the world. The mutual dependence of education and innovation means schools, industry and the broader community can join together to build an ecosystem where innovation + education can cross-fertilize and thrive.</p>
<p>In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)</p></blockquote>Fri, 7 Feb 2014 03:15:54 GMTIs anyone opposed … ?http://www.advogato.org/person/jmeskill/diary.html?start=59
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iamruinous/~3/pTbDOPWRaUo/<blockquote>
<p>Would anyone be opposed to … ?</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>Are you opposed to … ?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Or my personal favorite</p>
<blockquote>
<p>As long as no one is opposed …</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I hear this question, under many different guises, throughout the day. I cringe every time I hear it, <em>especially when it comes out of my own mouth</em>. The question sets up a challenge: “Do you dare prevent me from … ?” Sometimes people will take you up on the challenge. If you are in a position of authority, many times they will not.</p>
<h3>Why is this a bad thing?</h3>
<p>The challenge will trigger a fight or flight response, increasing stress levels, dramatically decreasing the ability to create the best idea.</p>
<p>When this challenge is issued, the desired response is silence. <strong>Silence is not agreement.</strong> Silence can be a seed of bitterness and resentment that will bear fruit later.</p>
<p>By setting up agreement through inaction, you have also accepted the full consequences of this decision. If things go wrong, and the inevitably do, don’t expect any support from “the unopposed.” Just because they weren’t opposed, doesn’t mean they support it.</p>
<h3>What to do</h3>
<p>Break the cycle of opposition. When I hear the <em>Opposed Question</em>, I pause, and state that it is time to make a decision. Turn the question around to ask “Will you support … ?” and get a response from each individual regarding their support. You should not take action until support is unanimous, and the best ideas have been discovered.</p>
<h3>This is going to take forever!</h3>
<p>Getting unanimous support for taking action is extremely difficult. Luckily, there is help readily available. I have found the <a href="http://liveingreatness.com/core-protocols/decider/" >Decider</a> from the <a href="http://liveingreatness.com/how-to-use-the-core-protocols/" >Core Protocols</a> to be an extremely helpful way to make unanimous decisions (that are biased toward results) that support the best ideas. Try it with your team!</p>
<p>So as long as no one is opposed, I’m going to publish this now…</p>Fri, 7 Feb 2014 03:15:54 GMTMy Coaching / Facilitation Toolkithttp://www.advogato.org/person/jmeskill/diary.html?start=58
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iamruinous/~3/dE9DFz2wMXA/<p>I was asked recently to document what’s I use for my toolkit when I’m at a client engagement. I’ve experimented with many different options and materials over the last year and so I’ll share with you what I’m currently using.</p>
<p>Before I show you the list, I want to share my philosophy that your toolkit needs to be simple, yet flexible. You never know what might happen during the course of a meeting you are facilitating, therefore you need to be prepared for anything. I’ve found that having an assortment of simple, yet highly effective basic materials gives me the flexibility I need to pull off almost anything.</p>
<p>Let’s begin:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Toolbox(es) – I have found using a common toolbox to be a great container for all this stuff. Bonus: it’s tons of fun to carry around and get strange looks from people. A toolbox appears very unusual to creative workers and helps encourage diversity of thought.</p>
<p>I use a 20″ toolbox as my main kit, and a 12.5″ toolbox as my grab-and-go kit.</p>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/toolboxes.jpg" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-74 " title="toolboxes" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/toolboxes-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>Both my toolkits</p>
</div>
<p>Let’s begin with the small toolbox.</p>
<p>I use this one to facilitate meetings for up to 8 people, like simple retrospectives, or other meetings where I don’t need the full capabilities I have available to me.</p>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Tools-013013S-Series-Toolbox/dp/B004R1G5C0/ref=sr_1_cc_3?s=aps&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1335313584&amp;sr=1-3-catcorr" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-71 " title="small_toolbox" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/small_toolbox-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>12.5" toolkit (link is to a similar, but yellower toolbox)</p>
</div>
<p> </p>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/small_toolbox_inside.jpg" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-70 " title="small_toolbox_inside" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/small_toolbox_inside-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>12.5" toolkit full of stuff</p>
</div>
<p> </p>
<p>Here are it’s contents:</p>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Expo-Chisel-Markers-Colored-80699/dp/B0004F7GUI/ref=sr_1_2?s=office-products&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1335313542&amp;sr=1-2" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-75 " title="whiteboard_markers" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/whiteboard_markers-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>Dry erase markers in both standard (Red, Green, Blue, Black) and other pastel colors. I walk into unknown meeting situations all the time. Are there markers? Do they still work? How badly damaged are they? Keeping my own set with me ensures I won't be scrambling.</p>
</div>
<div style="width: 234px">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sharpie-Point-Permanent-Markers-30001/dp/B00006IFHD/ref=sr_1_1?s=office-products&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1335313521&amp;sr=1-1" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-68 " title="sharpies" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/sharpies-224x300.jpg" alt="" width="224" height="300"/></a>
<p>Fine Point Sharpies</p>
</div>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://store.mountaingoatsoftware.com/products/planning-poker-cards" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-60 " title="planning_poker_cards" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/planning_poker_cards-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>Planning Poker Cards</p>
</div>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Scotch-2090-1A-ScotchBlue-Painters-60-Yards/dp/B00004Z4CP/ref=sr_1_3?s=office-products&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1335313435&amp;sr=1-3" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-55 " title="painters_tape" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/painters_tape-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>1" Painters Tape (sticks well enough without taking paint off the walls) Good for taping up papers, making grids, timelines</p>
</div>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Original-Inches-Canary-Yellow-100-Sheet/dp/B00006JNNE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1335313353&amp;sr=8-1" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-62" title="post_its" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/post_its-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>3x3 Post it notes - your most vital creative tool</p>
</div>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Poker-Chips-Stick-Decal-Wallmonkeys/dp/B004R4DOZ8/ref=sr_1_11?s=hi&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1335313712&amp;sr=1-11" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-61" title="poker_chips" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/poker_chips-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>Poker Chips - Used for coin games, placeholders, other creative ideas. I use these a lot to play simple coin puzzles while waiting for everyone to show up to meetings.</p>
</div>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pendaflex-Oxford-Blank-Inches-30/dp/B002OB49JG/ref=sr_1_4?s=office-products&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1335314639&amp;sr=1-4" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-28" title="4_x_6_index_cards" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/4_x_6_index_cards-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>3x5 index cards (blank) - a most essential tool</p>
</div>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/PRO-ART-5310-Drafting-Dots/dp/B0027AE8CM/ref=sr_1_1?s=office-products&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1335314711&amp;sr=1-1" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-36" title="drafting_dots" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/drafting_dots-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>Drafting Dots - useful for sticking and moving things on a whiteboard or on the wall without tearing the paper when removed</p>
</div>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-10-Pack-Dice/dp/B0032RAO72/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1335314902&amp;sr=8-2" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-35" title="dice" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/dice-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>6 sided dice - just for fun and games</p>
</div>
<p> </p>
<p>The Large Toolbox – I use this for more complex meetings, usually involving some highly creative activities. Enough for 20 people.</p>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Consumer-Storage-020300R-Professional/dp/B000Q5PGDK/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1335315161&amp;sr=8-6" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-48" title="large_toolbox" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/large_toolbox-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>Large 20" Toolbox</p>
</div>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/large_toolbox_full_clean.jpg" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-46" title="large_toolbox_full_clean" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/large_toolbox_full_clean-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>Large Toolbox - Full of Fun!</p>
</div>
<p>The contents:</p>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Consumer-Storage-020300R-Professional/dp/B000Q5PGDK/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1335315161&amp;sr=8-6" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-72" title="star_stickies" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/star_stickies-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>Star Post Its - Fun, fun fun</p>
</div>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Scotch-2090-1A-ScotchBlue-Painters-60-Yards/dp/B00004Z4CP/ref=sr_1_3?s=office-products&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1335315616&amp;sr=1-3" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-53" title="more_painters_tape" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/more_painters_tape-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>1" Painters Tape</p>
</div>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sharpie-Point-Permanent-Markers-30001/dp/B00006IFHD/ref=sr_1_1?s=office-products&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1335315683&amp;sr=1-1" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-67" title="sharpies_box" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/sharpies_box-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>1 - 2 boxes of Fine Point Sharpies</p>
</div>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sharpie-Permanent-Markers-Colored-75846/dp/B000GOZYRO/ref=sr_1_5?s=office-products&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1335315777&amp;sr=1-5" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-33" title="color_sharpies" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/color_sharpies-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>Sharpies of Many Colors - Black and White only is boring.</p>
</div>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Doffice-products&amp;field-keywords=index+cards" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-44" title="index_cards_mixed_2" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/index_cards_mixed_2-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>4x6, 3x5 index cards of various kinds</p>
</div>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Magic-Tape-Inches-3-Pack/dp/B0009F3P3U/ref=sr_1_1?s=office-products&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1335315946&amp;sr=1-1" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-66" title="scotch_tape" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/scotch_tape-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>Scotch Tape - Need</p>
</div>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Doffice-products&amp;field-keywords=stickers" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-73" title="stickers" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/stickers-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>Stickers - Everyone loves getting a sticker for doing a good job! Oh, also dot voting.</p>
</div>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Post--Notes-Ultra-Collection-Pads/dp/B0002DOC68/ref=sr_1_1?s=office-products&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1335316038&amp;sr=1-1" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-69" title="small_colored_post_its" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/small_colored_post_its-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>3x3 Post it notes of many colors - keep things visually interesting</p>
</div>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Index-Assorted-Colors-81300/dp/B00542WZCK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1335316227&amp;sr=8-1" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-40" title="florescent_cards_2" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/florescent_cards_2-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>Brightly colored 3x5 index cards - Liven things up!</p>
</div>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Recycled-Oxford-Color-Pack-Colors-ESS40280/dp/B001OE51AU/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1335316227&amp;sr=8-6" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-57" title="pastel_cards_4_x_6" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pastel_cards_4_x_6-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>Pastel 4x6 index cards</p>
</div>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/ACCO-Smooth-Economy-Silver-72580/dp/B00006IBK8/ref=sr_1_1?s=office-products&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1335316394&amp;sr=1-1" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-56" title="paper_clips" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/paper_clips-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>Paper Clips - Build fun things, clip things together, the possibilities are endless!</p>
</div>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Post--Super-Sticky-Notes-Collection/dp/B0013N2QU0/ref=sr_1_2?s=office-products&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1335316569&amp;sr=1-2" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-76" title="colored_post_its" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/colored_post_its1-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>Super Sticky colored Post Its</p>
</div>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Value-Pack-Foam-Shapes-Assortment/dp/B0016857VC/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1335316689&amp;sr=8-12" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-42" title="foam_stickies" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/foam_stickies-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>Foam Sticky Shapes - Unleash creativity</p>
</div>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Charles-Leonard-Chenille-Assorted-65610/dp/B001QOGZ80/ref=sr_1_3?s=arts-crafts&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1335316805&amp;sr=1-3" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-59" title="pipe_cleaner" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/pipe_cleaner-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>Pipe Cleaners - Build shapes, also helps people focus who need to keep their hands busy during meetings</p>
</div>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rubber-Inches-Assorted-Colors-A7072155/dp/B000093L25/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1335316871&amp;sr=8-8" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-63" title="rubber_bands_2" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/rubber_bands_2-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>Rubber bands - shoot people, bind things together</p>
</div>
<p> </p>
<p>Bonus Material:</p>
<p> </p>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/color_box_open.jpg" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-31" title="color_box_open" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/color_box_open-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>Pencil box with Crayola Markers, Scissors, sharpies, pens -- useful for storyboard activities and other drawing fun</p>
</div>
<div style="width: 234px">
<a href="http://kanemar.com/2008/04/07/scrum-trainers-gathering-24-the-ball-point-game/" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-30 " title="bucket_tennis_balls" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/bucket_tennis_balls-224x300.jpg" alt="" width="224" height="300"/></a>
<p>Bucket of tennis balls - useful for the Ball Point Game</p>
</div>
<div style="width: 310px">
<a href="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/games.jpg" >
<img class="size-medium wp-image-43" title="games" src="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/games-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224"/></a>
<p>Misc Games - useful for estimation, taking a break, or other made up fun</p>
</div>Fri, 7 Feb 2014 03:15:54 GMTLunch – A Crucial Coaching Techniquehttp://www.advogato.org/person/jmeskill/diary.html?start=57
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iamruinous/~3/RsMnIQ3Cuoo/<p>
<strong>Make time to go to lunch with the people you are serving.</strong>
</p>
<p>I’ve learned far more about the organization, the people I’m working with, and the challenges that lie ahead by going to lunch with someone almost every single day I’m on site.</p>
<p>I believe that lunch is one of the least respected and valued times in American culture. It is a critical time of day to step back and release from the focus of our daily work. It is an ideal opportunity to restore sustenance not merely to our bodies, but our minds as well. I’ve forged or solidified many relationships over a simple lunch. The more you can talk, laugh, cry, and share life with those around you, the more human you become, the more influence you will be permitted to have.</p>
<p>
<strong>Lunch is a powerfully simple tool to leave behind lasting change.</strong>
</p>
<p>P.S. This is doubly important for those who are in a consultant role. There are many barriers to overcome when you are from the outside, especially with those who do not understand what you are doing here. Lunch is that safe opportunity to share a meal to reveal yourself as the amazing person you are. (without making it inappropriate, formal, or just plain weird, like a dinner with someone unfamiliar can be)</p>Fri, 7 Feb 2014 03:15:54 GMTAgile Portfolio Management Gamehttp://www.advogato.org/person/jmeskill/diary.html?start=56
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iamruinous/~3/H3BoBuuSG6g/<p>Lately I have been doing a lot of work with organizations on Portfolio Management. I needed to create a fun game to give an introduction to the challenges of an Agile Portfolio without being overwhelming.</p>
<p>In April 2011, I attended the <a href="http://tastycupcakes.org/2011/07/agile-game-incubator-agile-games-2011/" >Agile Game Incubator</a> at <a href="http://program2011.agilealliance.org/event/4d303dd16c10043fe20f5a09049fbf46" >Agile 2011</a> and utilized the PLAID technique that Mike and Don taught us. This framework was extremely helpful for focusing me on my objectives and building a solid game. If you haven’t checked out <a href="http://tastycupcakes.org" >tastycupcakes.org</a> and used some of the amazing games, you must check it out.</p>
<p>My goal was to create something meaningful, yet playful, that had a team building element included. I created some fun personas to the game to let people role play and laugh a lot. I’ve used this game successfully with clients and also with my fellow coaches at the <a href="http://www.scrumalliance.org/events/331-scrum-coaching-retreat-boulder-co" >Scrum Coaches Retreat 2011</a>.</p>
<p>Here is an introduction to the game that I created and you can find a link to download the facilitator’s kit at the bottom of this post. If you have any improvements or suggestions, please comment.</p>
<p>
<strong>Problem</strong>
</p>
<p>The management team of Zebco, Inc. has too many projects, too few resources. This game teaches teams how to prioritize the people and resources they have available and try to maximize their effectiveness.</p>
<p>Some randomness is introduced by the dice roll. This helps simulate reality when unexpected things happen and makes the game more fun.</p>
<p>This game is sized for a team of 3-7 people. For larger groups, split them into smaller teams of 3-7 people and provide them with extra copies of all materials.</p>
<p>
<strong>Lead Objectives</strong>
</p>
<ul><li>Learn how delicate the balance of projects can be</li>
<li>Learn how to manage limited resources</li>
<li>Learn to deal with conflict</li>
</ul><div>
<strong>Downloads</strong>
</div>
<div>
<ul><li><a href="http://jademeskill.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Portfolio-Management-Game.zip" >v1.0</a></li>
</ul></div>